Candle base and assembly



Sept 28, 1943. M. c. HAMBLET 2,330,705

CANDLE BASE AND ASSEMBLY Filed March 29, 1941 INVENTOR fashioned andassembled in the manner of the corolla of a flower, the parts IIJ and IIbeing coated with Waterproofing material and defining held in positionas by a band I 4 of rubber, thread,

fine wire, or the like.

In the form shown in Fig. 3, the tube for hold? ing the candle isomitted. In constructingthis type of assembly, a standard candle I5 isprovided and the parts II are gathered therearound and held in position.by the element 25 similar to element I4 that has been described. `Thepartially constructed assembly is then dipped intowax,

excess wax drained away, 'and the Wax solidied. The part I is thenapplied as willA be described later. -1 i In the form shown in Fig. 4,Imolded lmaterial I6 without core material, is used in construction ofthe base of desired ornamental pattern deninga space .Il adapted toreceive a-candle. InFig. 5 there is shown a modification in the form ofa candle assembly including a boat I8 as the base, the ring elementl I9for receiving the candle, a member or weight 2i] of high specic gravity,say, a piece of metal such as iron, copper, lead,'or the like.v Theweight is disposed in the lower part of the canclleassembly. It sta?bilizes the floating and vkeeps the candle assembly in an uprightposition whenplaced on water. In

the case of the boat-shaped base, the weight may raise the prow abovethe water line as shown. 1

In yorderto make the construction of the base as ornamental, economical,and lightin weight as consistent with durability, thereis usedpreferably a material 2l or 22, vsuitably paper crepe, a woven fabricsuch as crepe de Chine, Cellophane, or the like as core material Withinthe members constituting thebase. Crepe paper is preferred because ofits relatively low cost and the readiness with which it may beshaped'into the ower or other ornamental pattern without tearing.

The relation of the waterproong material 23 tothe sheet materials 2I isshown in various figures, and particularly in Fig. 6. The constructionshown in Fig. '7 usingawoven fabric core 22, may be substituted forthematerial of Fig. 6 in the bases .shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and5.

In general, the method includes rst the shaping. of sheet material, suchas that commonly used in ,the making of articial flowers 'or otherornametal' objects, by technique that is usual in making such objects,the shaping providing a space to receive a candle of standard diameter.After the ornamental pattern is formed, it is held in desired shapetemporarily, as by elements 'I4 or 25, and then coated withWaterpr'ooling material as by dipping or spraying. Suitably thewaterproofing material `is wax and the wax is applied bydipping theshaped core material into the wax at a temperature a few degrees abovethe melting point of the wax and draining away. excess of wax. Otherwaterproofing materials are applied either in melted condition or insolutionin a4 volatile solvent, as, for example, in a lacquer.v v

holding a candle and resting in water.

When different colors are desired, say, for the foliage Il! and corollaII, then separate clippings are required. In such a case the corolla ofpaper crepe or the like is assembled around the candle or the tube I3and then is dipped so as to give a continuous coating of Waterproofmaterial over the parts constituting the corolla. This dipping may be inrose-colored wax, for example. Then core material such as paper crepe,which is to constitute the interior of the foliage I0, is scalloped onone side of the strip and the strip is dipped one or more times in waxof desired color, say green. Before the nal application of wax hardenscompletely, the strip is wrapped around the lower portion of the corollaassembly and folded on itself at the bottom of the assembly, to give awater tight structure, as illustrated more er less diagrammatically at24. The lower part is then again dipped in the waterproofing material,to make certain` that the ylower part of the assembly is completelywater-tight. riihis coating is made ratherthick so as to give to thewhole a low center of gravity which is below the point vof submergenceof the base when In vthis nal'dipping, care is taken that the wax ofcolor used for the. foliage does not lstrike any part of the assemblyAthat is diierently colored, as, for example, the rose ,coloredpetal-like members.

In making the base or shape shown in Figl 5, a boat of-:crepe paperorother sheet material of the kind. described is formed in any suitablemanner and provided with the upstanding meme ber i9 held initially tothe boat by adhesive (not shown) and then secured in position nally bydipping the boat and ring in wax of desired color. A weight 26 isinserted in position.

In making a molded product such as shown'n Fig. 4, there is used anysuitable plastic. Thus, there may be used a urea-aldehyde,aphenolaldehyde, or a casein plastic, shaping being made to patterndesired in accordance with technique that is conventional for shapingthe selected plastic. v'The bases formed from these plastics as well asthose made from the waterproofed crepe paper are shape-retaining whenfloating in water, that is, they do not sag or become distorted inWater. Also, their upper portions flare outwardly and, being thus'spaced from the candle, do not melt as the candle burns. The bases maybe vreused a numberof times, fresh candles being inserted in used basesas described elsewhere herein.

Bases constructed as described'are relatively light in weight,economical in amount of waxl or other waterproof material used, and Amaybe made in highly ornamental patterns. vFurthermore, the use of ilexiblecore material in the leaf or petalflike members adapts the base to belight in weight in its upper portions so as to give a low center ofgravity to the whole. All the bases should be balanced if the bases areto be floating when in use.

The Ycandle may be either replaceable or an integral partrof the base.If the candle is replaceable, a standard candle'of color toA suit theuser may be inserted into .position` and a new candle of the samediameter introduced into the base after one candle has been burned away.In some embodiments of the invention, however, the candle is introducedinto the baseI at the placeoi` fabrication and may be held in positiontemporarily by a small amount of wax which extends as an integral massfrom the upper surface of the candle to the tube I3, or, in case thetube is omitted, to the portions of the corolla gathered `around thecandle. i

While the invention has been illustrated by description in detail inconnection with a floating candle base, it is to be understood that theconstruction, including core material such as 2! or 22 and wax or likewaterproofing material constituting a continuous layer over the core,may be used in non-oating candle bases, in those cases in which thefeature of floating is not desired, In other words materials ofconstruction such as illustrated in Figs. 6 and '7 or in Fig. 4 may beused in any shape of candle base, although I have obtained uniqueresults when the candle base is adapted to oat.

The floating candle assemblies, also, may be varied in certain details.Thus a weight, such as the member 26, may be used with any shape ofoating candle assembly. When the weight is to be embedded in or anchoredin wax or other hardenable material, is placed in its selected positionin the lower part of the assembly before the said material hardens, sothat the position of the weight is established when the material sets.'I'he weight may also be used with unbalanced designs of candleassemblies, `whether or not they are to be floated when in use. Thismakes possible candles of a wide variety of designs that, without theadded weight, would topple over or be subject to being easily upset,because of the `center of gravity falling either outside or near an edgeof the base.

It will be understood also that the details given are for the purpose ofillustration and that variations within the spirit of the invention areintended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. i

What I claim is:

1. A base adapted to receive a candle and when supporting the candle tofloat on water, the base comprising a lower portion, a flaring portionextending upwardly from the lower portion and defining a watertightbuoyancy-giving space of width substantially greater than the diameterof the candle to be received within the base, and means for securing thelower end of the candle within the said lower portion, supporting theweight of the candle, and xing unchangeably the level of the lower endof the candle withrespect to all parts of the said base, the candle basebeing waterproof over its exterior surface, containing material ofhigher melting point than the temperature of melting of the wax of thecandle, and having its center of gravity below the line to which thebase when supporting a candle sinks in water, so that the base remainsupright.

2. A floating candle base in the pattern of a ower including a pluralityof flaring petal-like members arrangedin the manner of the corolla ofthe flower, waterproof leaf-like elements disposed outside thepetal-like members and extending downwardly from positions above thelower parts of the said members, and means closing the spaces betweenthe side portionspf the leaf-like elements to a level above that towhich the base sinks when supporting a candle and floating in water, soas to form a closed watertight lower portion of the assembly and form abuoyancy giving space above the said lower portion, a part of the saidlower portion having a bottom and side walls shaped to receive the lowerend of a candle and maintain the said lower end at a fixed level withrespect to all parts of the base and the said buoyancy giving spacebeing wider than the said part shaped to receive the candle so that thebuoyancy giving space persists after the candle is inserted into thebase.

3. A candle base as described in claim 2, the petal-like members andleaf-like elements being iexible.

4. A'candle base as described in claim 1, the material of the basecomprising a shaped mass of molded plastic waterproof material.

5. A base as described in claim 1 including a metal mass-adding-memberof a substantially higher specic gravity than any other part, of theassembly disposed in the lower part of the said base, thebuoyancy-giving space causing the whole assembly to float when placed inwater and the metal member stabilizing the floating and maintaining theassembly in an upright position.

6. A floating candle assembly comprising a candle and a reusable baseconstructed of formed shape-retaining material that does not melt at thetemperature of melting of the wax of the candle and is waterproof overits exterior surface, the base including upwardly extending leaf-shapedelements that are continuously united in watertight manner at their sideportions and are shaped to form a bottom for supporting the lower end ofthe candle and a space above the bottom for engaging and holding theside wall of the lower end of the candle at a fixed level with respectto all other parts of the assembly, the said elements aring at theirupper portions and defining around the candle a buoyancygivingwatertight space of greater width than the diameter of the candle.

7. An assembly as described in claim 6, the base being formed from paperand the paper being coated continuously over its exterior surface so asto provide waterproofing over the exterior part of the candle base, witha wax of substantially higher melting point than the wax of the candle.

MARCIA C. HAMBLET.

